The 2026 lineup spans across Levant, Egypt, and Morocco, covering social dramas, thrillers, comedies, and romantic series.
Cedars Art Production, part of the Sabbah Brothers group, has announced a slate of nine new scripted series for Ramadan 2026. Ramadan continues to be the most competitive period in the Arabic television calendar, comparable to the fall launch season in the United States, as high-budget musalsalat dominate prime-time schedules across free-to-air channels and streaming platforms.
Cedars Art’s 2026 lineup spans the Levant, Egypt and Morocco, featuring a mix of social dramas, thrillers, comedies and romantic series. All titles are set to premiere on MBC and its streaming platform Shahid, with several pan-Arab productions also available for secondary rights and regional licensing.
The pan-Arab Levantine slate includes three major dramas. Mawlana, a 30-episode social drama starring Taim Hassan, Nour Ali and veteran actress Mona Wassef, follows a fugitive whose assumed identity draws him into a dangerous world of power and corruption. If Possible (Momken) brings together Nadine Nassib Njeim and Dhafer L’Abidine in a story about two people from very different backgrounds whose unexpected connection forces them to confront past wounds and social norms. Five Souls (B’khams Arwah), a social thriller reuniting Kosai Khauli and Karess Bashar, centres on a man who learns he is the sole heir to a billionaire father but must locate his three siblings within six months or lose his inheritance and his sense of self.
Egypt forms the backbone of the slate with five projects that range from family comedy to long-running franchises. Highlights include Abbas, a multi-generational drama led by Amr Saad; Dad & Mom Are Neighbors, a 15-episode romantic comedy starring Ahmed Dawood and Mirna Gamil; and Together (Sawa Sawa), a youth-driven love story featuring Ahmed Malek and Hoda El-Mufti. The popular supernatural series Al Maddah returns for a sixth season, while The Other Sister (Noon El Neswa) delves into themes of sibling rivalry and redemption.
In Morocco, Cedars Art is producing Ras Al Jabal, an action- and crime-driven love story starring Assaad Bouab and Hiba Bennani. The series is the Moroccan adaptation of the hit drama Al Hayba, following the success of its first international remake produced in Turkey by Ay Yapım under the title Uzak Şehir, which achieved strong ratings and critical attention, highlighting the format’s cross-market appeal.
Cedars Art typically produces an average of eight titles each Ramadan, consistently delivering multiple high-end dramas. Its production operations regularly span five or more countries, a strategy aimed at managing political and logistical risks while maintaining budget efficiency. The company’s catalog now exceeds 150 titles, including frequent top-10 performers on Shahid and Netflix, alongside extensive second, third and fourth runs across regional channels and international broadcast networks, reaching audiences in more than 30 territories.
Ramadan remains the most lucrative period for Arabic television, with viewers spending an average of four to five hours per day watching video content and advertising rates peaking during the month. The season accounts for around 40% of annual advertising spend in the region, according to Ipsos. At the same time, demand for Arabic dramas on streaming platforms has surged, growing 24-fold within MENA and 21-fold internationally, based on Parrot Analytics data. Shahid, the Arabic streaming platform and Cedars Art’s first-look streaming partner, has reported double-digit user growth alongside rising international interest in original Arabic intellectual property.
As one of the few independent producers sustaining a multi-country production pipeline, Cedars Art has become a key supplier in a rapidly evolving market, balancing traditional broadcaster commissions with projects designed for cross-border licensing and potential international remakes.
